1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and a method for processing mail. More particularly, it relates to a system and a method for processing all types of international mail. In order to obtain preferred postage rates, mail sent to international locations is presently categorized by the United States Postal Service (USPS) into three types of international mail.
Generally, the first type is International Priority Airmail (IPA) in which the USPS provides preferred postage rates for mailing of nonpresorted and presorted international priority airmail of all types sent to all countries of the world, except Canada. The second type is International Surface Airlift mail (ISAL) in which the USPS provides preferred postage rates for bulk mailing of printed matter to all countries of the world, except Canada. The third type is for mailing to Canada from the United States, and is known as Valuepost.
The above-identified priority application Ser. No. 07/883,535, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,597 which is incorporated herein by reference, is directed to processing IPA mail. The present application is directed to a generic system for processing all types of international mail. In addition, it provides a new weighout feature to IPA, and the system for processing ISAL mail, and the system for processing Valuepost mail.
With respect to IPA mail, the USPS has, for some period of time, provided postage rate discounts for mailing large quantities and/or weight of letters, packages and the like to international locations. Particularly, the USPS provides preferred postage rates for mailing of nonpresorted and presorted international priority airmail sent to all countries of the world, except Canada. The previous IPA mail postage rate structure provided a flat per-pound rate for nonpresorted and presorted mail.
Recently, the USPS regulations have been dramatically changed concerning the postage discounts provided for IPA mail. While the new USPS regulations still provide a nonpresort rate option, they now provide for the presorted mail option a new international zone structure that has three rate groups. The rate in each group has both a per piece and a per pound rate component.
Each rate group corresponds to a different one of the three international zones established by the USPS. In each zone, there is a large number of countries. The countries are not classified by discrete geographical areas around the world, but instead are established passed on UPU terminal dues agreements with the United States. For example, group 1 includes many countries in the European market, such as Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, yet it also includes Australia, but does not include Liechtenstein which is in group 2 and Switzerland which is in group 3.
The rates for the three rate groups for the presorted IPA mail presently range from 20 cents per piece and $4.95 per pound to 15 cents per piece and $7.95 per pound. Specifically, group 1 now has a per piece rate of 20 cents and a per pound rate of $4.95, group 2 has a per piece rate of 15 cents and a per pound rate of $6.15 per pound, and group 3 has a per piece rate of 15 cents and a per pound rate of $7.95. The rates in all three rate groups compare favorably to the nonpresort rate of 20 cents per piece and $8.00 per pound. Also, the rate for nonpresort international priority airmail compares favorably to simply mailing individually pieces of international airmail.
To obtain even the nonpresort rate, the total IPA mailing must be ten pounds or more. These requirements apply to the total mailing.
To obtain the more favorable presort rate, the mail must be sorted by country and zone and, in addition, meet the following requirements. The mail in a zone must weigh ten pounds or more and there must be either more than six pieces of mail per country in that zone or a weight of ten pounds or more for mail directed to each country in that zone.
The ability to process a heavy volume of international priority airmail, such as letters, sent by a single entity, such as, for example, a corporation or a bank, in any given day provides significant problems. That coupled with the necessity to comply with the USPS regulations in order to obtain the most advantageous postage rate, clearly creates even greater problems. Yet, the need to comply with the USPS regulations in order to obtain the most advantageous postage rate is readily apparent.
Concerning ISAL, the USPS has, for some period of time, also provided postage rate discounts for bulk mailing of publications, advertising material, catalogs, directories, books and other printed matter to international locations. The term "printed matter" is defined by the USPS to mean paper on which words, letters, characters, figures, or images, or any combination of them not having the character of a bill or statement of account, or of actual or personal correspondence, have been reproduced by any process other than handwritten or typewritten. Computer prepared material, magazines and the like are considered to be printed matter.
The ISAL program was created to offer preferential rates based on the proposition that customers perform some of the work, that would otherwise be performed by the USPS, needed to transmit the printed matter mail to international locations.
Previously, the ISAL mail postage rate structure of the USPS provided varying rates by country per pound of mail sent. Each country required its own rate and a separate postage statement for the total weight or poundage of mail sent to each country. Also, all mail needed to be identical nature, i.e. same size and weight. The mailer would affix postage, sort mail by country, bundle mail, bag and tag mailbags and deliver the prepared bagged mail to the USPS air facility. In this manner, the USPS would experience reduced labor and overhead, since bags of mail would be placed directly on planes for destination countries without any handling of individual pieces of mail by postal employees. The mailer was also responsible to meet minimum weight requirements, to prepare the mail pursuant to USPS regulations, and submit required postal forms for verification.
The postage rate structure has been adjusted a number of times to the present structure in which there are two rate categories, one is based on the destination by zone and the other is based on weight of the item. Specifically, individual items of 2 ozs. (a weight selected by the USPS) or less are called lightweights. They are charged at a flat per piece rate, presently 32 cents. Any item that is heavier than 2 ozs. is called a heavyweight, and is charged at a rate per pound based upon its destination to one of four zones. The four zones established by the USPS are Europe, Central and South America, the Pacific Rim and Africa/Middle East. The following is the present cost per pound in each zone: Europe is $2.90, Central South Americas are $3.25, Pacific Rim is $3.40, and Africa/Middle East are $4.20.
The current rate structure requires a total weight of mailing to be 50 lbs. or more to all destinations. The sortation and bagging requirements remain the same as set forth above. There is one set of rates for mail transported to anyone of the three USPS gateway airport locations that incorporates a 30 cents/lb. discount. Alternatively, mail can be dropped at any other acceptance city for the higher rate.
As with IPA, the ability to process any volume of ISAL mail sent by a single entity, such as a corporation or a bank, in any given day provides significant problems especially when attempting to obtain the most advantageous postage rate. Nevertheless, the need to comply is readily apparent.
Analogously, the USPS now also provides postage rate discounts or preferential postage rates for mailing of large quantities of printed matter to Canada. Valuepost was created based on the theory of a workshare arrangement between the USPS and its customers.
Prior to Valuepost, a mailer had the option of: (1) publisher's periodical or regular printed matter (both delivery times are very slow); (2) air printed matter, (3) airmail, or (4) first class mail. The latter three options are expensive. Alternatively, there was direct entry where it was necessary to clear Canadian customs and pay a goods and services tax (GST). With Valuepost, the bulk mailer now receives a cost effective rate with prompt service times of delivery.
Valuepost was developed with a letter size category and a flat size category for mailing large quantities of printed matter to Canada. The letter size category has been presently defined as mail having a height up to six and one-eight inches, a length or width of up to eleven and one-half inches, and a thickness of up to one-quarter of an inch. The flat size category has been presently defined as mail having a height up to eleven and one-half inches, a length of up to fifteen inches, and a thickness of up to three-quarters of an inch. The following rate structure applies to Valuepost. For letter size, any piece of mail 1 ounce (oz.) or less is charged at a per piece rate, presently 28 cents, while any letter over 1 oz. is charged at a second rate, presently 26 cents, per piece plus a third rate, presently 40 cents, per pound or fraction thereof. For flat size, any piece that weighs five ozs. or less is presently charged at a per piece rate of 53 cents, while any piece over 5 ozs. is charged at a second rate, presently 30 cents per piece, plus a third rate, presently $1.00, per pound or fraction of a pound.
Valuepost requires the mailers to affix postage, sort mail by Canadian province, bundle mail, bag and tag mailbags, and deliver the prepared bagged mail to a USPS Bulk Mail Center. In this manner, the USPS experiences reduced labor and overhead, as bags of mail can be sent directly to the Canadian Postal Service without any handling of individual pieces of mail by USPS employees. The mailer is responsible to meet minimum weight requirements, to prepare mail per regulation, and submit postal forms for verification. The current requirements now provide for a total weight per mailing to be 50 lbs. for letter class, 100 lbs. for flat class, or 100 lbs. for a mixed mailing of letter and flat classes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior to the present invention, it has been virtually impossible to both process international mail and monitor it so as to comply with the above preferred postage rate requirements set forth by the USPS. Heretofore, one was required to have a large labor force to weigh virtually each letter or package and to individually sort each piece of mail and place the mail in the appropriate country bundle. Furthermore, detailed lists were manually compiled on a line by line basis for each piece of mail, and then manually compiled for a total. To prepare such lists, it is extremely time consuming and expensive.
There has not been, except for application Ser. No. 07/883,535, filed May 15, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,597, which issued on Nov. 16, 1993, cited above, a process or system that provides for the simultaneous weighing and recordal of information that leads to the compiling of the desired report. Further, there has not been a system that readily provides for the detailed breakdown needed in order to allocate the postage costs to various cost centers, such as individual clients or divisions within an organization or a system that provides within itself various check procedures to verify that processed international mail is correctly sorted and meets the requirements of the USPS.
Thus, the present system provides a comparatively economically efficient system for processing international mail that segregates the mail by geographic regions and, if desired, in zones each having several geographic regions, and provides a detailed breakdown of the number of pieces of mail in each geographic region in each zone and the weight of the mail in each geographic region in each zone.
When the present system is directed to processing ISAL mail, it segregates the mail within zones, and by country in each zone, and provides a detailed breakdown of the number of pieces of mail in each country in each zone and the weight of the mail in each country in each zone, as well as between lightweight and heavyweight mail within each zone. When the present system is directed to processing Valuepost mail, it segregates the mail by letter and flat class, and breaks down within those categories, the lightweight from the heavyweight mail, and provides a detailed breakdown of the number of pieces of mail in each province and in each class, and the weight of the mail in each province and in each class therefore allowing the commingling of mail.